Race and other Theoretical Issues
Discussants will provide an outline for a selected session. Summarize the argument, discuss its contribution to IR, and probe the argument and evidence for strengths and weaknesses. The following questions can be used to guide your reading of each piece and will shape our discussion:
Topic Question: Race and other Theoretical Issues
Suggested Reading:
-Robert Vitalis. 2000. The Gracefuland Generous Liberal Gesture: Making Racism Invisible in
American International Relations. Millennium: Journal of International Studies 29(2): 331356.
-Errol Henderson. 2013. Hidden in Plain Sight: Racism in International Relations Theory. Cambridge
Review of International Affairs 26 (1): 71-92.
-DavidA. Lake. 2016. White Mans IR:An Intellectual Confession. Perspectives on Politics 14(1):1- 11.
Suggested Readings:
-DavidA. Lake. 2013. Theory is Dead, Long Live Theory: The End of the Great Debates and the Rise
of Eclecticism in International Relations. European Journal of International Relations 19(3): 567-
587.
-Barry Buzan and George Lawson .2013. “The Global Transformation.”International Studies
Quarterly 57(3): 620-634.
These are the questions to be answered:
What is the question or puzzle?
What is the argument?
What are the explicit or implicit assumptions?
Who are the relevant actors?
What are their preferences and interests and where do they come from?
At what level of analysis is the argument?
Where does the argument fit into the theoretical landscape of IR and who would disagree?
What is the relative importance of agency versus structure?
What evidence is provided in support of the argument and is it convincing?
